Colonel A. T. Pumphrey, while serving continuously in Army Aviation for 30 years in the grades of Flying Sergeant (World War II) to Colonel, was in the forefront of major advances in air-ground warfare in all three major theaters of warfare known by his generation.

During the early 1940's in WWII, he pioneered the combat employment of the L-5 as a vital observation post for armored forces in Germany. Later he perfected the first aerial patrol along the German-Czechoslovakian border and achieved notable success in detecting Communist troop movements.

In 1950 in the Korean War, he volunteered for and flew numerous L-17 forward air controller combat missions and these greatly facilitated USAF strikes against the enemy. Also, Colonel Pumphrey helped provide aerial surveillance for U.S. forces as they marched on the North Korean capital.

In 1966-1967 in Vietnam, he again distinguished himself as a combat leader while successively commanding an Assault Helicopter Battalion and an Air Cavalry Squadron.

His other contributions to Army Aviation had significant impact on flight safety, instruction, at the Aviation School, and field training and inspections.